Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night research papers illuminate how William Shakespeare, with his ability to capture the very base qualities of human nature, tapped into this desire in one of his funniest and confounding plays, Twelfth Night, or What You Will. The craziness of the Twelfth Night can be shown in the English literature research paper by discussing how a woman disguises herself as a widow to spurn a duke's unwanted attention. A confused, if lovable, fop, tries to pass himself off as a nobleman to gain the respect of his peers, but ends up only looking more the fool.

A girl disguises herself as a boy because she thinks it will offer her more protection, and perhaps an inroad into a man's heart. These perpetrators of deception - Olivia, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, and Viola - intentionally try to fool the rest of the world into thinking they're something they are not. The results vary, and no character gets exactly what they think their deception will gain them. This is a Shakespeare play, after all, and unintended consequences of one's actions are par for the course. In other words, the characters who choose self-transformation, and hence deception, as their means to an end often don't get the end they're looking for.